Chapter 1

I always knew that shifters lived in this city.

They held all the power and controlled all the resources.

But I never expected that Jason, my boyfriend of eight years, was actually a Werewolf Alpha.

Even worse, he already had a child.

And that child was my student.

It wasn't until that day, when two kids got into a fight in my class, that I found out. I rushed over to pull Jay away, and a sharp pain shot through the back of my hand. He had bitten me.

The bite mark was deep, like a puppy's.

Then, the other boy pushed me to the ground.

With no other choice, I had to call both of their parents to the school.

Once the two mothers arrived, the argument only escalated. Clutching my aching stomach, I called my boyfriend, asking him to come pick me up.

He hung up almost immediately and sent me a text: *In a meeting. Let's talk tonight.*

Meanwhile, the other boy's mother called her husband.

Ten minutes later, her husband arrived. He pulled her into his arms, comforting her gently.

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll handle this."

A second later, he looked up. Our eyes met, and my knees nearly gave out.

This man was Jason. The man I had been with for eight years.

Jason stared at me for a few seconds, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes.

I had been too exhausted and in pain to move, but now, shock made me forget the pain entirely.

Jason looked down at the woman in his arms. "What happened?"

She quickly explained the situation. After listening with a frown, Jason called over a man in a suit—likely his assistant.

I heard the assistant call Jason "Alpha."

The assistant handled everything efficiently. With just a few words, he got the other parent to take their child and leave.

The boy's mother wiped her tears and smiled. She stood on her tiptoes, cupping Jason's face, and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, babe! You always drop everything to save me!"

Jason wrapped his arm around her waist naturally. "Of course. You're my mate."

The little boy hugged Jason's leg, chanting about how great his daddy was.

My lips went pale, and my fingers trembled.

A million questions rushed to my throat, but seeing this happy family of three, I swallowed them all. It felt like swallowing broken glass, cutting me open inside.

Just then, the boy's mother took her son's hand and walked over to me. "I'm so sorry for the trouble, Miss. I think my son bit you earlier. To make it up to you, my husband and I would love to buy you dinner."

I instinctively looked at Jason. He frowned, locking eyes with me, and shook his head slightly.

I stared back at him, my voice tight. "Sure."

Jason's brow furrowed deeper, but I looked away.

The mother grabbed my hand with a smile. "I'm still pretty young, so my husband basically treats me like one of the kids. Whenever anything happens, he's the only one I call."

I nodded bitterly. During our eight years together, I knew he was busy, so I never wanted to bother him with anything, big or small.

When crazy parents cornered me in my office at school, screaming at me, I could only bow and apologize repeatedly. When my gastritis flared up late at night while I was grading papers, I went to the ER for an IV drip all by myself. When we moved, I carried all the heavy boxes up to the sixth floor alone, just wanting to decorate our first home together.

Those memories never felt bitter back then, because I thought he was working hard for our future.

But now, it all felt like a sick joke.

The mother booked a restaurant and led me to the parking garage. I had never seen Jason drive the car parked in front of us.

Before getting in, she realized she forgot her son's backpack and ran back to grab it.

I stood by the car. My stomach was still cramping badly, so I leaned against the door for support.

I looked up to see Jason's anxious face. He asked urgently, "What's wrong with you?"

I pushed him away. At that moment, his son called out, "Daddy!"

Jason immediately let go of me. With one last look, he got into the car.